He endured a fragmented initiation to English football due to a troublesome thigh injury but went on to feature extensively in the second half of a season which saw Roberto Mancini’s side finish as runners-up in the Premier League and the FA Cup.

In all, he appeared on 33 occasions in 2012/13 across four competitions and scored twice.

Javi’s good form at the start of his second year in Manchester earned him a recall to the Spanish national team for a friendly match against Chile where he won his second international cap in a 2-2 draw last September.

He was an important member of a City squad which went on to clinch a trophy double and he played a decisive role in one of the most pivotal games of the season – away at Hull City.

Down to ten men after the dismissal of Vincent Kompany in the early stages of the March encounter, Garcia dropped into defence alongside Martin Demcihelis and the pair struck up an impressive makeshift partnership to weather the storm and leave the KC Stadium with all three points.

He came on as a 77nd minute substitute in the 3-1 win over Sunderland in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley earlier in the same month, lifting his first major trophy in sky blue.

Garcia would go on to play a crucial role in the title run-in, starting the last six Premier League games of the season, including the final day win over West Ham United.

In doing so, Javi added a Premier League medal to the Portuguese Primeira Liga title he won at Benfica.

Javi leaves City after 71 competitive games over the past two seasons.

He joins Zenit who won have won their first four Russian Premier League fixtures and will face Standard Liège in the play-offs for the UEFA Champions League group stages on 20 and 26 August.

Everyone at the club would like to thank Javi for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future career.